I'm Glad I Have a PC Over a Console

PS4 was ready to launch and I was broke. I had it on preorder with $200 down. Morosely, due to personal reasons, I had to give up the preorder to get my money back. I rested my head in my hands and exhaled. This sucked. Now I was going to miss Killzone: Shadow Falls, Drive Club, and Knack. However as time went on, and much to my delight, I was able to get my hands on a gaming rig called the Alienware x51, from a payment plan through my friend. With the purchase of the computer, I was able to get back a slew of games I had previously purchased through Steam on my old PC. After owning the computer for a while, I had to ask myself, was it worth it?

On November 15th, I found out it was.

Killzone: Shadow Fall scored lower than most its prequels, Drive Club was postponed till next year, and Knack...well Knack didn't do so hot. These were the big exclusives that was going to launch with the system, the major reasons to own the PS4. With no games to fill the void till next year, the PlayStation brand wasn't looking so fun.

I will buy you one day. But that day is not today.

I will buy you one day, but that day is not today.

With my PC, there were exciting games to go through from the get go: Far Cry 3, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Dota 2. This didn't even include my wishlist of Battlefield 4 and Titanfall that were either out or on the way. So the PC proved to be a better platform, for me, at the console launch. But what were some of the other reasons that made me glad to own a PC? Happy you asked, for there are many, but I'll keep it short as possible.

For one, graphics processing is far superior on PC, especially as the consoles' life cycle wanes. Don't get me wrong, God of War, Halo, and Mario all look amazing. Beautiful, I might add. But when compared to games like Crysis 3, Metro: Last Light, and Battlefield 4, console games tend to not quite match up.

And let's not forget the physics that high end graphics cards can pull off. Nvidia Phys X engineers some of the best weight shifting, gelatinous movement, and puddle effects I have seen in a game. Also, AMDs TressFX in Tomb Raider were mostly quite realistic. Granted, with the new consoles, physics will get better. However, as computers pump out upgraded hardware, consoles won't be able to keep up.

"Power overwhelming," said the buyer.

"Power overwhelming," said the buyer.

Next, we have upgradability. Computers tend to be very modular. Don't like the graphics on your game? Upgrade you graphics card. Sound not up to par? Get a sound card. Don't like the speed of your computer? Buy a Solid State Drive. The customization seems endless.

Also, you will never have to upgrade your whole system just to play newer games unless your rig is severely outdated. Most the time, all you have to do is crank down the graphics lever to play your favorite title. This, in turn, will save you hundreds of dollars, unlike a console, which forces you to buy their new system to play most of the newest titles.

My final point is Steam. Where do I even begin with how Steam is better than most of what the consoles have to offer? For one, the sales are insane. There has been many times, Valve, the corporation behind Steam, has sold their own games for 5 bucks. As most know, their games are no slouch either. We are talking Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2, and Half Life 2. Other discounts, even going on right now with their Winter Sale, affect other games of high caliber such as Bioshock Infinite and The Stanley Parable.

Also, Steam offers many free-to-play titles that are worth your time, like Team Fortress 2 and Planetside 2.

Moreover, Steam offers a lot of similarities that the consoles have: cross game voice chat, achievements, and a centralized hub. So, in effect, it does what the console does, but mostly better.

steamsale

In conclusion, with graphics/physics being of a higher quality, PCs being modular, and the awesomeness that is Steam, PC throws it weight around the ring and extends its hands for a TKO. This is not to say consoles are worthless. I want to own a PS4, a Wii U, and possibly a Xbox One some day. Why? Because they offer experiences that I can't quite get with the PC. However, when it comes to having most of gaming's best elements under one roof, the champion is PC.

Besides, remember Titanfall? Yeah, I know it is going to be on the Xbox One, but which one is going to have the ultimate experience? Exactly.